Dear staff, parents, supporters and partners,
It’s been an incredible year of experiences and outcomes for Meeting Street Schools.
In the last few weeks alone, we’ve started announcing some Excellence in Teaching Awards for guiding phenomenal student growth, and we’re in awe of the milestones achieved by our students, including the $1.4 million in scholarships earned by our Meeting Street Academy – Charleston graduates.
We have much to be proud of – and so much more to do.
Our vision for Meeting Street Schools is empowering children with the excellent, life-changing education they deserve. I’m looking forward to a new era focused on exceptional teaching that results in life-changing student achievement. We embrace an entrepreneurial, innovative spirit and a growth mindset, all while appreciating the incredible purpose in our work.
These are the principles that will guide our work this summer and this next year, and I’m confident that our students and their results will be better for it.
Since I stepped in to lead our schools in February, our work has been strategic and intentional.
One of my top priorities has been to hire visionary leaders for several key positions, including a Chief Academic Officer with a record of results. We found that person in Nisha Vasavada.
Nisha is a transformative educator who’s known for her outcomes. She’s worked in multiple, high-level leadership roles with national charter school organizations, and we are honored to have a leader of her caliber on our team.
Additionally, I’m excited to share that Marcus Backman has taken on more responsibility in his new role as Chief Financial and Data Officer. His contributions will support our entire team and ensure we continue to keep students at the center of all we do.
With the departure of Meeting Street Academy – Charleston Executive Director Chris Eide Azevedo, we’ve created two new positions to narrow the focus of the instructional support for teachers. Tamil Goodson, our founding principal of the Jasper campus, will be our new grades PK-2 leader while Shavawn Davis-Milford, the Academy’s current principal, will lead grades 3-5.
Our team is spending this summer thinking about the year ahead and ensuring our teachers will be best positioned and equipped for success. Meeting Street Academy Spartanburg will start a new chapter on July 1 as a charter school, which means it will have both greater autonomy and opportunity to serve students better.
I’m humbled and grateful to be a part of the Beemok Education portfolio, which includes Meeting Street Schools, the Excellence in Teaching Awards inspired by our schools, and the Meeting Street Scholarship Fund, which continues our commitment to students by offering up to $40,000 college scholarships.
Our efforts in education are unlike any other in South Carolina, and I appreciate your continued support.
In partnership,
Josh Bell
President of Beemok Education
Board Member of Meeting Street Schools